EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Not only was the Kutztown University offense able to beat the touted East Stroudsburg University press, it thrived defensively in the full-court to lead the 14th-ranked Golden Bears to their biggest win of the season – a 92-87 victory on the road against the first-place Warriors inside ESU's Kohler Fieldhouse.
Kutztown (12-2, 8-2 PSAC) stands firm at third place in the PSAC East, while the Warriors (11-4, 9-1) suffered their first PSAC loss and home loss of the season – snapping an eight-game home winning streak.
The road win marked the first at East Stroudsburg for the KU senior class. KU's last win at ESU was in 2012.
Outside of the first bucket, Kutztown led for the entirety of the game. A buzzer-beating layup at halftime gave KU an 18-point advantage - a lead that grew to as many as 25 in the second half with 13:45 to play.
Despite the wide margin, East Stroudsburg never gave up on its home floor. In fact, it mounted a monumental run that put it within a point with less than a minute to play. ESU's defense picked up and put KU into some tough situations offensively.
Free throws secured the victory for Kutztown in the waning moments.
Austin Beidelman (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) and
Dan Cuevas (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) both pocketed two free throws in the final 30 seconds to keep KU on top.
All five of KU's starters scored in double figures, led by 19 from senior captain
Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown). He shot 9-for-15 from the field and proved effective in transition with some fast-break layups and dunks. He notched a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Cuevas scored 17 points, while
Ethan Ridgeway (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) and
Anthony Lee (Willow Grove, Pa./Abington) each finished with 16. Ridgeway, the PSAC-leader in assists per game, dished out seven Wednesday night with a career-high-tying five steals.
Lee added seven rebounds with five assists in 37 minutes.
Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points – all in the first half - with seven rebounds.
As a team, Kutztown shot 56.1 percent from the field while holding East Stroudsburg to 43.3 percent. East Stroudsburg had scored 98+ in the last four games, as Kutztown's strong first-half defense helped lead it to victory.
The Warriors were led by senior Rasheed Moore's 21 points and eight rebounds. He made 11-of-12 free throws and both of his 3-point attempts. Quindell Brice finished with 13 points, Jakwan Jones had 11 and Nick Giordano had 10 with two 3-pointers.
Kutztown returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 14, at Mansfield University for a 3 p.m. tipoff.
